Mike Watts grabbed a trolley and pushed it with purpose across the polished floor.
He was headed for the storage room, a dark, windowless space full of coffee cups and bulk-bought sodas, tucked inside the vast atrium of the Sandra Day O’Connor federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix.
The drink fridge needed filling, but Watts wasn’t exactly unhappy to take on the task. Visiting the storage room is his second-favorite task.
“It’s like, my time, but it’s work time,” Watts explained, as he unlocked the door. “It’s my time to calm or to think.”
“Mike time,” he added, with a laugh.
It’s a chance to take a breath, which Watts occasionally needs amid the hustle and bustle of One Revolution Coffee.
The compact, circular kiosk inside the downtown Phoenix courthouse has its moments. It serves U.S. marshals hungry for potato chips, judges in need of a sugar fix and prospective jurors searching for lunch. On Fridays, the lobby fills with new Americans and their families, celebrating naturalization ceremonies.